Qatar Rift Shows No Signs Of Ending

The rift between Qatar and its Gulf neighbours Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE showed no signs of abating in June despite efforts to mediate the dispute.

- Robert Anderson

The three Gulf countries, along with a growing list of other Arab nations including Egypt, closed all air, sea and land links with Qatar on June 5 over the country’s alleged links to terrorist groups.

The measures saw the closure of the Saudi border with Qatar and the changing of shipping routes as ports banned vessels travelling to or from Qatar from docking.

However, initial panic buying by Qatari shoppers was short lived as alternative suppliers from Turkey and Iran stepped in with dairy products and fruits and vegetables to compensate for the overnight halting of food imports from other countries.

Meanwhile, Qatar-owned news channel Al Jazeera was taken off the air in the three Gulf countries, access to Qatari news sites was shut off and publications and individuals were warned that expressing sympathy for Qatar would be punished with fines and jail time.

Among the businesses hardest hit by the restrictions initially was state-owned carrier Qatar Airways, which along with all Qatari owned and registered craft, was prevented from using the airspace of its neighbours.